Debates of May 2nd, 2013

Government Response to Petitions

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(b), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to one petition.

Offshore Health and Safety Act

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-61, An Act to amend the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act and other Acts and to provide for certain other measures.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Support for Volunteer Firefighters Act

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-504, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (volunteer firefighters).

Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to introduce my bill to amend the Canada Labour Code for volunteer firefighters, which is seconded by the hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie.

This bill will strongly reaffirm Canada's and the House's commitment to volunteer and part-time firefighters. It will give them protection under the Canada Labour Code so that their employer cannot, without just cause—and I want to emphasize that point—prevent them from or discipline them for meeting their obligations and responding to calls as firefighters.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the House to reaffirm its commitment to volunteer firefighters. In many rural areas, it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit volunteer firefighters, and it is very difficult for fire departments to get their forces together between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.

This will provide real help to firefighters and to all communities, particularly those in rural areas.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-505, An Act to amend the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (powers of inquiry).

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the hon. member for Louis-Hébert for agreeing to second my bill.

I am very pleased to introduce in the House my bill to amend the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. The government has not yet put in place a process for the review of this act, which, incidentally, was supposed to be done in April 2012. I think it is important to give this law more teeth. This will allow us to ensure that the government is more accountable and responsible, particularly at a time when services for Canadians are in jeopardy and are being hard hit by cuts to the federal public service.

This legislative measure therefore amends the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act in order to extend the time limit for the filing of a complaint, to allow the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner to examine former public servants, to increase the fine for an offence under section 10 of the Inquiries Act and to authorize the commissioner to disclose, in his or her report, the identity of the person found to have committed a wrongdoing.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Gasoline Prices

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to present these petitions signed by numerous members of my constituency of Sudbury. They ask the government to look at protecting consumers from gas price gouging.

The petitioners maintain that gas prices fluctuate erratically, with prices prone to wide variations between communities and sharp spikes in anticipation of higher demand. They are calling on the Minister of Industry to present legislation on behalf of the government to protect Canadian consumers from the high price gouging we are seeing by some gasoline retailers.

Genetically Modified Alfalfa

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first relates to the issue of genetically modified alfalfa. These individuals are concerned about the potential impacts on the organic food industry.

Democratic Reform

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition relates to the Canada Elections Act. In this case, as I understand it, signatures were obtained over a period of approximately two years.

Genetically Modified Alfalfa

[Gary Schellenberger, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to present this petition from constituents in my riding. They would like to see a moratorium on the release of genetically modified alfalfa.

Motor Vehicle Safety

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions.

The first comes from petitioners across Canada asking the government to make side guards on heavy trucks mandatory. They note that this is one of the key recommendations from the chief coroner of Ontario.

They also note that recently, some of the industry leaders—Shu-Pak, for example—have installed side guards on their trucks. It takes less than a day and costs less than $800 to install these side guards, and they can save the lives of the thousands of cyclists, pedestrians and runners who are now out on the streets because summer has arrived here in Canada.

Parks Canada

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from people across Canada. They note that the Rideau Canal, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, and the Trent-Severn Waterways are both national historic sites and represent a significant part of our Canadian heritage. They are renowned all over the world for their natural beauty and engineering and are a vital part of the economies of their respective regions.

That is why the petitioners are calling on Parks Canada to make sure that these two UNESCO sites are returned to the 2011 operating hours and length of season in order for Canadians and visitors to safely enjoy these waterways.

Experimental Lakes Area

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of several residents of Atlantic Canada who are concerned about the decision with respect to the Experimental Lakes Area.

These petitioners call on the government to recognize the importance of the Experimental Lakes Area to the government's mandate to study, preserve and protect aquatic ecosystems, and to reverse the decision to close the ELA research station.

The Environment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions.

The first is from residents of Tofino, British Columbia, and Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are calling on the government to cease its promotional stance in relation to the proposed northern gateway pipeline project involving the risky supertanker scheme off the coast of British Columbia.

41st General Election

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents of Vancouver, Ottawa and Victoria. They are calling on the government to institute a full and independent investigation of the attempt to defraud and mislead voters in the 2011 election, as well as to investigate multiple violations of the Canada Elections Act.

Development and Peace

[Jean-François Larose, NDP, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of Development and Peace.

Unfortunately, in response to the cuts and changes to CIDA programs, this petition seeks to change the government's attitude. As we well know, CIDA is about to disappear. Development and Peace has proven itself time and time again, and it would be good for the government to change its attitude and respect the direction international aid is going in.

Bashir Makhtal

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to file today on behalf of a number of people in Saskatchewan, particularly students at the University of Saskatchewan, who are expressing their concern about the treatment of a Canadian citizen, Bashir Makhtal, who is presently imprisoned in Ethiopia.

The petitioners are expressing concern about how the Canadian government can pay better attention to the circumstances of this individual.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 1238 and 1239.

Question No. 1238

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

With regard to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy: (a) what does Homelessness Partnership Strategy define as ‘supported housing’; and (b) is this the definition used for funding supported housing projects within the Homelessness Partnering Strategy?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the term used under the homelessness partnership strategy is “supportive housing”. Under the homelessness partnership strategy, supportive housing is defined as “housing for individuals and families that includes supports and services integrated into the housing, and no length-of-stay duration. Services depend on clients’ needs and are provided to help residents maintain independence and stability to promote social inclusion”.

With regard to (b), the definition of supportive housing is used for funding housing projects within the homelessness partnership strategy. All activities funded by the homelessness partnership strategy must be eligible under the terms and conditions of the program. The program terms and conditions can be found at the following web address: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/homelessness/funding/terms_conditions.shtml.

Question No. 1239

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

With regard to the tax subsidies for private health insurance plans under the Income Tax Act in the 2011 fiscal year: (a) what was the total value of the deductions, in terms of foregone tax revenue, provided to corporations for their contributions to employee health insurance plans; (b) what was the value of the deductions, in terms of foregone tax revenue, provided to corporations for their contributions to employee prescription drug plans; (c) what was the total tax expenditure for the Medical Expense Tax Credit; and (d) what amount of the tax expenditure for the Medical Expense Tax Credit was for premiums paid for private drug insurance plans?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a) and (b), contributions to employee health and prescription drugs insurance plans are part of the broader category of “employee benefits” and are not required to be reported as separate items on the corporate income tax return. In the absence of reliable tax data representing a broad cross-section of Canadian corporations, the Department of Finance is not able to provide the requested information.

With regard to (c) and (d), the medical expense tax credit, METC, recognizes the effect of above-average medical or disability-related expenses on an individual’s ability to pay tax. It is calculated by reference to the lowest personal income tax rate for the taxation year. For 2011, the METC was available for qualifying medical expenses in excess of the lesser of $2,052--indexed to inflation at $2,109 in 2012 and $2,152 in 2013--or 3% of net income.

The tax expenditure related to the METC for the 2011 calendar year is estimated to be $1.19 billion, as noted in the 2012 tax expenditures and evaluations report.

The Department of Finance is not able to determine the tax expenditure for premiums paid for private health services plans claimed under the METC, as expenditure amounts relating to specific items claimed under the METC are not reported separately on the income tax return.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if Question No. 1243 could be made an order for return, this return would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 1243

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

With regard to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, what is the location, nature, and cost of each Small Craft Harbours project which has been undertaken since January 1, 2005?

(Return tabled)